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      02-25-2021, 03:22 PM   #1
JasH
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Question Are i8 tyres directional?

I just had my i8 tyres replaced by BMW, and am curious whether they are correct.

Standard Bridgestone Potenza S001

Each tyre has an indicator stating "outside", which is indeed correctly on the outside.

However, the left and right side tyres on the car are identical. Should these come as left and right version tyres? i.e. are they directional?

I just a have a suspicion that all 4 tyres should be different (i.e. obviously different sizes front to rear, but also that the left and right tyres should be different).

Anyone know please?
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      02-25-2021, 06:36 PM   #2
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Bridgestone Potenza S001 tires are asymmetric, but not directional. So left and right are the same tire and are correct so long as they are mounted outside out.
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      02-25-2021, 08:09 PM   #3
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      02-26-2021, 01:12 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eswimm View Post
Bridgestone Potenza S001 tires are asymmetric, but not directional. So left and right are the same tire and are correct so long as they are mounted outside out.
That's it.

They would be clearly marked with an arrow followed by the word "Rotation" or "Direction" if directional.
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      02-26-2021, 03:58 PM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eswimm View Post
Bridgestone Potenza S001 tires are asymmetric, but not directional. So left and right are the same tire and are correct so long as they are mounted outside out.
Thank you
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      02-26-2021, 04:05 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Sophisto View Post
That's it.

They would be clearly marked with an arrow followed by the word "Rotation" or "Direction" if directional.
Thanks

That's what was confusing me, as my McLaren tyres are directional and also asymmetric. (Each tyre is unique to each corner.)
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      02-27-2021, 07:44 AM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JasH View Post
Thanks

That's what was confusing me, as my McLaren tyres are directional and also asymmetric. (Each tyre is unique to each corner.)


Unless your racing NASCAR then you would have different tires on each side of the car because your always turning left.

Asymmetric just means there is an inside and outside of the tire tread pattern and can be rotated from side to side because the “outside “ is still the outside. With a directional tire then there is an arrow showing direction of rotation and you can’t swap from side to side only front to rear without turning the tire around on the wheel.
Directional tires are also asymmetric but are designed to rotate in a specific direction. There is no such thing as specific left and right tires.
Your tires are unique to each corner because they are different size tires not because they are lefts or rights.

Last edited by Coastali8; 02-27-2021 at 08:43 AM..
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      02-27-2021, 08:29 AM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coastali8 View Post
There is no such thing. Unless your racing NASCAR then you would have different tires on each side of the car because your always turning left.
Asymmetric just means there is an inside and outside of the tire and can be swapped from side to side because the “outside “ is still the outside. With a directional tire then there is an arrow showing direction of rotation and you can’t swap from side to side without turning the tire around on the wheel. There are no left and right tires unique to each corner.
There are definitely directional asymmetric tires. Not terribly common, but I used to run a staggered setup of directional, asymmetric tires on my M6 that required ordering 4 different tires, since they were specific to each corner. Nothing too fancy either, they were just high performance street tires that high contact patch for handling on one side and directional channels for water on the other.
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      02-27-2021, 09:01 AM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by eswimm View Post
There are definitely directional asymmetric tires. Not terribly common, but I used to run a staggered setup of directional, asymmetric tires on my M6 that required ordering 4 different tires, since they were specific to each corner. Nothing too fancy either, they were just high performance street tires that high contact patch for handling on one side and directional channels for water on the other.

Show me with a link or something.
Directional tires are usually asymmetric anyway.
I’ve never seen a specific left or right tire.
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      02-27-2021, 10:09 AM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coastali8 View Post
Show me with a link or something.
Directional tires are usually asymmetric anyway.
I’ve never seen a specific left or right tire.
I honestly can't remember which tire I was running at the time. The Goodyear Eagle F1 Supercar G:2 is an Asymmetric/Directional tire however if you need an example.

Asymmetric tires have a different inner and outer tread design, to maximize grip and therefore have an outside marking for mounting. Directional tires have a V-shaped tread design which is typically designed to move water from the middle to the edges or in the cases of some all-season/winter tires to maximize their bite into snow. Asymmetric/Directional tires combine the features of both.

Most directional tires are not asymmetric or I'd have a lot more examples of asymmetric/directional tires to draw from.
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      02-27-2021, 10:41 AM   #11
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Well....
An advertisement, photo, web link or something.
I’ve got to see what a left side or right side tire looks like.
Thanks
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      02-27-2021, 12:07 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coastali8 View Post
Well....
An advertisement, photo, web link or something.
I’ve got to see what a left side or right side tire looks like.
Thanks

https://www.tirerack.com/tires/tires...=23YR9F1G2LROF

Quote from the description: "Since Chevrolet Corvette ZO6 applications feature staggered tire/wheel size fitments, they will require position-specific (RF, RR, LF and LR) tires."

We have 4 different rims, not sure why 4 different tires is so surprising.

Last edited by eswimm; 02-27-2021 at 12:16 PM.. Reason: Clarity
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      02-27-2021, 12:33 PM   #13
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Well... what do you know.
I stand corrected.
Learn something new every day.
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      02-27-2021, 01:05 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coastali8 View Post
Well... what do you know.
I stand corrected.
Learn something new every day.
They are not common at all, in 30 years I've only had them on 1 vehicle and they were not OE replacements.
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      02-28-2021, 12:31 PM   #15
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Coastali8 View Post
Well... what do you know.
I stand corrected.
Learn something new every day.
Yes, as I said, that's what was confusing me. As my 720S is like that, with asymmetric & directional tyres.

(Not all 720S are like that however.)
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